Bleary eyes and tousled hair greeted her.
“Don’t be afraid,” she whispered to them. “Just stay down.” She opened her door, and her mind spun. The terrain around her wasn’t exactly conducive for them to try to run on foot. How far were they from their friends? It couldn’t be that far. They were at the border which meant only a kilometer—a short thousand meters away. Perhaps Rick could see them even now. Could she signal them somehow?
And yet, it was too far.
Too far for her to get help.
A wet, frigid breeze cut through her coat.
The click of a gun hammer echoed across the open space.
“Hands up.”
Her brother’s voice was low as he aimed the weapon at her.
The nasty smirk on his face chilled her to the bone. More than the snow falling and adding to the drifts on the ground ever could. Melanie raised her arms, palms facing forward.
Her brother pointed the gun back at Dr. Grafton’s temple.
“No! Don’t hurt him!”
Her brother laughed. “So this man means something to you? More than your own flesh and blood?”
“My own flesh and blood pointed a gun at me and is now pointing it at my friend.” Oh, he made her so angry! She resisted the urge to lunge at him and bit the inside of her cheek.
He sneered. “You’re angry with me? What is it, exactly, that you and your friend do?”
The faces of hundreds of children flooded her mind in a millisecond.
Jesus...Jesus...
The tension in her body eased. All fear left her.
She angled a look at her brother and lifted her chin. “You know what I do. I work for Miss Frappier.” She took a slight step closer to Dr. G.
“Don’t. Move.” Her brother jerked his chin toward the car. “Now, I suspect Miss Frappier is not in support of the Führer and the Nazi Party, which makes her an enemy. I also believe that she is up to something. Why is it, my dearsister”—he spat the word—“that we have discovered a great deal of communication traveling across Europein braille?”
She was not going to be baited. “Probably because she reads and writes in braille and her fans—which include your Führer—want to communicate with her. Sheison a European tour, as I’m sure you’ve heard. You were even at one of her performances.”
His dry laugh sounded... evil. “You think I’m a fool, don’t you?”
“Not at all.” Think fast. She needed to keep him occupied until she figured out what to do. “But I do think your work for the Nazis has made you suspicious of everyone. You see an enemy in every person around you.”
His eyes narrowed, lips thinned. “That’s because most of them are. The Führer is a great man with the only solution for this world, and I aim to make sure that he succeeds.”
Solution?Bile rose up her throat. She swallowed it down.
“Your face says it all, dear sister. You don’t have what it takes to do what has to be done.” He pointed the gun at her again. “Get in the car. And if you do anything stupid, I will shoot this man. When you get in the car, put the keys in the ignition and then put your hands on the steering wheel.”
Melanie looked between her brother and Dr. Grafton.
He dipped his chin in a slight nod, but didn’t say a word.
Oh, Lord, please help. I don’t know what to do.
After another second’s pause, her brother yelled. “Get. In. The.Car!”
She did as he instructed. Slowly. She closed the door and, through clenched teeth, whispered to the children, “Not a sound. Keep low.” As she stared out the window at the sibling she’d so hoped to save,her thoughts spun. How had he found them? And what was he planning to d—
